Game of Life
by mibu ronin
Summary: In short, two goddesses gamble on people's lives in a game which is popular for settling arguments in Socrutes. Pairings are: [YohHao RenYoh RenHoro AnnaYoh HaoTamao] Will be quite long and some pairings will appear in later chapters only.
1. Chapter 1

_Promise_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King, but wish I owned Hao's cloak..

_Yoh……_

That was all that filled his mind, as his conciousness whirled about in nothingness. Five hundred years, five hundred years till his next rebirth. Five hundred years of waiting. It was a never ending cycle, to be reborn every five hundred years, and to die, only to wait another five hundred years for his rebirth. It went on, and on. Never to end……

_What is the whole point of all this?_

He remembered. He remembered his younger brother's smile, that light in his eyes, that beautiful face. That untarnished, pure and innocent mind. He remembered with regret, how he had attempted to kill his younger twin. He felt remorseful, he wanted to make up to his twin. If only he could have a second chance……

_Just one minute, one last look……_

He recalled when he first saw his twin, how Yoh had completely occupied his thought for the rest of the time after that. Every waking moment, none were not filled with thoughts about Yoh. How he longed for his twin, his desire overwhelming him at times, his passion burning like fire. His conciousness quivered slightly, like a flame when a breeze blows, in nothingess. Five hundred years……

Two glowing spirits observed his conciousness. Pathetic, thought one of them. The other one kept silent, watching and pondering……

_"Hao…" _The deep voice penerated through his thoughts, tore through his visions, resonating through his entire being. "_How far are you willing to go, to reunite with your twin again?_"

"I would do anything!" His voice sounded thin next to the other voice, but it was filled with determination… and hope.

"_Even if you can only live for a day? One day, to die and never to be reincarnated again?"_

"I would rather spend one day with Yoh, then the entire lifespan of this world alone!"

"_Such is your choice…and you will not deplore?" _The voice had taken on a rather stern tone.

"Yes!" He practically roared.

There was a flash of bright light, and nothing more.

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Yoh was lounging on the park bench, his eyes half closed, enjoying the gentle breeze, and the warmth of the last afternoon sun rays upon his face. After the Shaman fight had ended, after _he_ had died, Yoh was looking forward to having an easy life. Yet, these days, perplexing emotions have been arising, along with unusual thoughts. He actually felt a twinge of guilt about killing his elder brother, and strangely enough, he felt something else for his brother. It was not the typical brotherly love, no. It was more than that. Much more. But……it was all over now. Now, he was just to live out the rest of his life with Anna, his fiancee. At least, he was supposed to. Somehow, there was this hole in him, this part of him that was missing, and he knew no one could mend this hole. Not Anna, not any of his friends, not even Amidamaru. No, this was something he had to live with for the rest of his life……

A shadow fell on him, and hands rested on his shoulders. Yoh started. His heart beat quickened, and he thought he was about to burst when he heard that all too familiar voice, that silky, smooth, seductive voice, the voice he had been dreaming about all this while.

"Otouto…" Not turning, Yoh knew who it was. His worst nightmare…or maybe, his most beautiful dream.

Hao. Turning, dreading and yet yearning what he would see, he saw his elder twin, his splitting mirror image standing there. His long brown hair flowing in the breeze. His midnight black eyes held the same lively gleam in them. Why had he returned? He had died, right before his very eyes. The thought simply disturbed him more. Why did he have to return?

Hao smiled down at his twin. Yoh was no doubt trying to figure out this little piece of complexity. He looked into his twin's eyes, nothing had changed. His features were still smooth, unblemished. He still had the innocent beauty which so attracted Hao.

"Onii-san…" Yoh managed to regain his breath to utter the simple word, but had it taken away again when Hao covered his lips with his. It was a simple kiss. Yet it held so much in it. He could feel the passion burning, and the desire, the desire to possess something. Him. Without thinking, Yoh returned the kiss, letting his thoughts flow to his brother as well. The last ray of sun lingered upon the horizon, sinking soon, leaving them in near pitch black darkness.

Out with nature, away from the concrete builidings that Hao so much detested. Time didn't seem to stop, instead, it raced ahead, seemingly eager to claim Hao back into it's domain, to separate him from his beloved twin, to remind him of his precious seconds that were ticking away.

Hao loved Yoh as he had never loved before. He wanted every bit of his twin, every single atom, every molucule, every thought. He gently stroked over all areas of his twin's bare flesh, the warmth…he would never forget. Yoh simply held to his dear Onii-san, loving with his heart, mind and soul. He was complete again, the hole was filled. He moaned with pleasure as Hao ran a finger down his spine.

"Yoh, promise me you will live life to its fullest. No matter what happens. Ok?" Hao sudddenly spoke.

"With you by my side, how can I ever be unhappy?" Yoh proceeded to moved his kiss to Hao's neck.

"Promise me. Whatever happens, you will stay as you are. Happy and carefree." Hao said seriously, sitting up.

Yoh laughed. "I promise, Onii-San."

Hao held his brother close, and kissed his forehead gently. Two tears formed but they did not drop, Yoh must not see him upset, otherwise Yoh will be affected too.

Hao and Yoh were seemingly fused into one, under the big sakura tree. Yoh was contented. He was in safe arms, with his perfect big brother. He snuggled up to Hao, his head on his brother's strong chest.

"I love you Onii-san." Yoh murmered. Already, sleep was claiming their victim.

Hao lovingly held his brother closer to him. "I love you too, Otouto."

As Yoh fell asleep, warm and secure in the arms of his brother, Hao murmered softly, "Remember the promise you made, my little brother."

Hao did not sleep. He stayed wide awake; simply observing his brother beside him, whispering sweet thoughts to him occasionally, or brushing away a stray strand of hair. He stilled his heart, which was thudding in his chest, it was almost as if it would break at any time. The stars twinkled merrily in the sky, watching over the pair of twins. The moon palely shone, illuminating the perfect countenance of Hao's face. It was all in all a calm night. But Hao felt anything but calm. He could feel a powerful presence, waiting to claim him back to their world. Taking him away from his little brother.

"Stay happy, my dearest Otouto." Hao murmered softly, kissing Yoh tenderly. His tears flowed freely now, streaking down his face as he shut his eyes, lying beside his brother, holding on to him like he would never let go, waiting for what he knew was inevitable.

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As the warmth of the first sun rays of the day fell on Yoh's face, he awoke at once to find that he was alone, clutching a tear stained cloak. The cloak of someone he loved.

'_Remember your promise, my little brother…' _The ghost of a whisper came with the wind, and just as quickly blew away again……


	2. Hajimeru

Prolouge: The game begins.

Summary: The main culprits behind all the mischief in later chapters.

Disclaimer: Own Shaman King not, that is quite obvious.

Author's note: Yes, bear with me. It's quite OC. Mentioning Ocs, I will be inserting one OC in later chapters. hints and please review, flames are also fine(though I am still wondering what flames are), in fact, anything that criticizes me, telling me how to improve, I gladly welcome.

"How interesting…" Fate drawled lazily, obseving the scene in her mirror. She did not look up even when the sound of angry footsteps resounded around her chamber.

"How could you? You are so mean!" Fate calmly turned to face her colleague and sister, the very passionate diva, Amor. Ignoring the angry outburst, she continued to stare at the distraught goddess.

"And what do you suggest I do?" she replied slowly, eyes never leaving the supernatural being before her.

"I demand a match! Fair match, mind you. None of your usual tricks up the sleeves." Sniffed Amor. She knew her sister well enough to know that she would never, ever refuse a game.

"Usual rules, I presume." Fate eyed her sister warily. She failed to understand her sister's obsession with those pathetic life forms. A game, she could very well afford to play one. "Very well. I accept your challenge."

With a wave of her hand, a playing board appeared, along with two stiff wooden chairs. Without looking, Amor gracefully flicked her hand, and one of the wooden chairs turned into a comfortable, red plushy chair.

"You need to relax abit, my dear sister." Amor said teasingly, resulting in a deathly glare from her sibling.

"And you, need to act your age." Fate remarked, smirking. Her sister always blew at the mention of her accumulated years.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Amor strode towards her chair in a huff, throwing herself into the sinking depths of the chair.

"Whatever…" she mumbled. "Let's just start the game, ok?"

Fate smiled inwardly, her sister, always acting the child. She in response settled down in her stiff wooden chair and drew out her pawns.

"The stakes…" Fate inquired casually, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll bet on Asakura Hao's soul. If I win, he gets a second life and shall be free from your bond." Amor pulled a glowing spirit into existance, setting it onto the board. "My pawn, Asakura Yoh."

"And if you lose…" Fate faded off suggestively.

"Fine! You get his soul and Asakura Yoh's one as well. Happy now?" Amor yelled, irritated.

"Good. And for my pawn, I choose Tao Ren." Fate smirk grew wider as she saw the unease on her sister's pale, perfect face. She drew another spirit into existance and set it on the board. Instantly, the board expanded into a magnificant, detailed 3-D structure of the world. The two glowing pawns were located in the narrow strip of land called Japan.

"Follow the rules, no tricks! I'll have none of that dirty playing expected from you, Fate." Amor glared at her sister, violet eyes illuminated by the glowing orb. Fate did not reply, merely staring with her misty grey eyes into her sister's ones. Inwardly, she was grinning. No tricks? Ah, but that will take all the fun out of the game…

"Let the game begin." Amor and Fate said spontaneously.

Fate laughed, already, the wheels have been set into motion.


	3. Ace

Chapter 1: And it's all back to square one

Summary: Fate has lots of tricks in store for her dear sister, she reveals the first of a series of tricks in this chapter. Find out what!

Author's note: Many thanks to all the reviwers! Though this is specifically to those who reviewed on my story, and not on my behaviour. Thanks again! (: hope you all enjoy, I certainly do!

The wind blew through the reeds, which in turn produced a pleasant melody. The air was strangely still though, thick with anticipation. The pilant stems, as though in fear, were bent away from a certain someone who was lying amongst their midst. Fanning out in all directions, all away from the unwelcome intruder of their peace. Gently, the wind worked her slender fingers through the long silky hair of a certain individual, carressing his smooth flawless, skin, across his lips, like a lover seeking to please.

The being remained motionless.

Anybody looking could have sworn all they saw was an indolent teen, taking a break from reality. The wind, not dissuaded, merely continued to whisper softly into the person's ear, yet the being was immune to her blandishments, and still was immotile.

'_Time to wake up, Asakura Hao…' _a canorous voice flowed through his ears and into his brain, and was like the oil needed for a machine to run, Asakura Hao's body immediately jerked to a start, millions of disjointed pictures running through his mind. Eyelids shot up, to reveal dark brown orbs which were like wells, containing years of accumulated wisdom. So very enchanting, and yet at the same time, containing a hint of mystery in them. Staring into his eyes could be equated to staring into the belly of the beast, at your ineluctable fate if you were ever to brave the unknown.

_A familiar face…tree…stars…_

Images ran past his face, as he tried to process his current circumstances. For a while, the faint scent of oranges could be detected in the air, but was soon washed away as his brain was bombarded by an influx of information supplied by his other 4 senses. Ouch. He gave up trying to sit up, instead, he relaxed on the ground, resting his throbbing head. The wind, ever eager to soothe, continued to assuage his discomfort, running cool fingers down the boy's flushed cheeks.

'Why am I here? What happened?' Thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to recollect his memories.

'_You are here because you were defeated during the final showdown, in the Land of the Stars, the fight for the possession of the Great Spirits.' _The voice was back again. _'The fight to become the Shaman King.'_

"Shaman King…" the boy echoed, eyes staring into blackness. Images that contradicted each other, that complemented each other, that were part of each other flashed across his eyes.

"Yoh." Hao uttered that single syllable, quietly, without a trace of emotion. A fleeting and evanescent image, stopping to rest lightly like a butterfly come to rest on a blade of grass, to disappear as quickly as had come. An image of a pair of loving brown liquid eyes, in a face that was so identical to his, yet differing so vastly. A smile which conveyed ingenuous optimism. Somehow, for reasons unknown, a part of his heart was tugging at him, pulling and reaching out to hold this image forever, but the ribs acted like prison bars, the image, like hope, flew ever so close, but was just beyond reach, fluttered away.

'_He tried to kill you.' _The voice had voiced this simple one statement, right at that moment. That one crucial moment.

"Yoh." This time, his voice carried visible signs of anger. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, it was all coming back to him now. The fight, the day he faced his brother, his twin brother, in a final fight before the great spirits. He remembered the look in those similar chocolate brown eyes of his, the look which conveyed determination, confidence and hatred. The images assualted his mind, plauging him with painful memories of how he was defeated. He, the great Asakura Hao, was defeated by his weaker other self. He gritted his teeth in rage and irritation. At his twin for thwarting all his plans, at himself for being bested. Yet, something deep inside his soul was crying out in contradiction, begging him to remember something important. Something……

'_That's not important now…you want your revenge don't you, Hao?' _the voice suggested.

"Yes! I will get my revenge on Yoh. And I will outdo him this time." The declaration issued hung in the air, and a slightly demented light appeared in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, unknowingly drawing blood. As the red liquid of life leaked through his fingers and onto the ground, the tiny thought that had been bothering went away as well.

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"QUOI!" Amor's infuriated cry resounded throughout the skies.

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Asakura Yoh was in the middle of his daily 15 km jog, as ordered by his trainer and finacee Anna, when thunder suddenly rumbled, and clouds obscured the sun, casting dark shadows upon the ground.

'Hmm. I wonder why the weather changed that rapidly. Ah! That means I have to get home faster!' The normally relaxed shaman then quickened his pace, not wanting to be caught out in the middle of a downpour.

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"That was so unfair!" cried Amor, casting accusing eyes at her sister seated directly opposite to her. "You wiped his memories!"

Fate did not once flinch, merely steeping her fingers and glaring at her sister over them. "I did not completely wipe his memories. In fact, he chose not to remember them. And if I remember, that was not against the rules."

Amor gaped at her in amazment, momentarily lost for words. Her sister snapped her fingers, and a slim book fell from thin air. Fate flipped through the pages purposefully, before settling down to examine one particular page.

"Here. You can check it out yourself." Fate tossed the book towards her sister, who caught it deftly and began reading. Amor's face darkened as she absorbed the contents on the page. A flame was then conjured, reducing the book to ashes which were carried away by the wind.

"Fine. You win this time." Amor's eyes narrowed as she noted her sister's unctuous smile. "And wipe that grin off your face."

"On with the game then, my dear sister?" Fate offered politely, basking in the glory of having gained an ace.

Notes: quoi is french for what. As in the shocked what! You get the idea. Please review! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I was happily describing my revered Hao-sama and enjoying it all. (: btw, reviews on the story, not my behaviour. If reviews hit 20(at least) I'll update the next chapter…or make it simpler, those who want me to continue updating, just leave an aye(literally). I'll make a note. Again, ayes should reach at least 20, then I know you guys like to read and there's actually a demand there.

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	4. The umbrella and mud

Title: Game of Life 

Chapter 3, Raindrops 

Summary: Yoh is caught out in a thunderstorm and it's getting late. How will he make his way home? And in the shadows someone lies watching, and waiting... 

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Lightning darted all about the enormous empty halls of the sky, a barely discernible impish devil while thunder intoned scriptures from deep within his being, the graveyard tones echoing in the emptiness all around. The two played around in the hall as heaven's cannons prepared to machine gun the surface below. Thunder cleared his throat once more and lightning gave a playful leap. Like a signal, heaven let lose the torrent of ammunition- huge orbs falling down, down, exploding on the ground.

Amor raged in the inner chambers of her being, unleashing a lethal storm, which manifested itself unfortunately, as a real storm. The air around her, charged with electricity, crackled faintly and frizzled her silky hair. Fate sat with amused eyes, coolly watching her disgruntled sister, enjoying every moment. Amor, never ruffled, simply put on her waxy mask and returned the stare, eyes promising revenge at the very next opportunity.

"No!" Yoh wailed as the first assault began. He was sprinting at full speed now, the ground consumed under his thudding feet, the fields flying past in a blur. He cursed inwardly. Of all days, of all times, of all places. He was stuck in the deserted countryside, with no other living person for a good 8 mile distance, no known effective shelter against the weather for another 3 miles. He looked around frantically, hoping that perhaps a miracle would occur. Perhaps, perhaps... His eyes scanned the horizon. Nothing. Endless fields of reeds...more fields, and yet more fields. The waving reeds were mocking him, swaying side to side almost cheerfully. Yoh desperately looked around again...

"Yes!" Yoh spotted a lone tree straggling in the distance, no more than a quarter of a mile away. His legs found hidden stores of energy to fuel them as he propelled towards prospective shelter. He collapsed against the trunk of the tree, knees buckling under. The few branches with withered leaves barely provided protection against the fierce onslaught of heaven's forces, a screen door opposing a whole regiment of arrows. He was thankful though, something was better than nothing. Now, all he had to do was to wait... Simple, ne?

Wrong.

4 hours later, Yoh was still sitting under the tree, if it can be classified as one, and the rain was still falling with the same enthusiasm as before with no seeming intention to stop. Lightning occasionally stretched his long fingers amongst the dark gloom, unearthly light in the sky, thunder rambling across the space. The seconds ticked by one by one, crawling by, an emaciated old man. Yoh looked at his wristwatch once more. Eight o' clock at night already. He wondered if any one at the inn noticed his absence, and he wondered if they even cared at all. Yoh gave a resigned sigh. Please cease...he prayed for the umpteen time. A futile effort. Ah well, he tried. He looked up woefully at the overhead overcast sky a final time, as if to admit defeat. Folding his pale, elegant arms behind his head, he leaned against the unstable, hollow trunk of the tree and braced himself for the night ahead which lay like a sempiternal road with hidden potholes and creeping roots reaching out to trip an unsuspecting person at any time. The road on which light cast none of her glory and even shadows avoid. Yoh, the lone wanderer, heading unknowingly into the belly of the beast. The irrepressible darkness, from under the folds of the many covers lay a pair of eyes, watching. Waiting.

"Yoh...wake up." A familiar voice pierced through the thick mists of dreams and pricked him in the numbness of sleep. Yoh fought to lift his weighted eyelids, and to move his seemingly immobile and dead muscles. His brain slowly started up, warming up all the neurons, sparking them back to life. Ah, now a hand was shaking him gently on shoulder. What...? Finally, his eyes were open. Everything was still a blur though. Lazily, he unfolded his arms, the bones creaking and muscles aching ever so little. Blinking the huge brown orbs a few times, his vision sharply came back into focus.

"Ah!" Yoh screamed, jumping off the ground at once and startling the person who had woken him up. The very above mentioned person stepped back, the umbrella in his hand threatening to tumble to the ground and his eyes wide with shock. Yoh recognized the mentioned person, and leaned against the tree, breathing heavily. The breath came in and out of his mouth in gasps, as he fought to catch his breath and refill his lungs and brain with much needed oxygen. When he had calmed down at once, he turned with curiosity at the person.

"Ren! What were you doing this," And at this junction, Yoh pressed his thumb and finger together to emphasize the distance. "close to me? Are you trying to scare me to death? Another thing, what are you doing here?" The questions were fired off in rapid succession, giving the named person no time to react.

Ren heaved a sigh, mostly of exasperation and a hint of relief. His saffron eyes softened a little when he noticed the other teenager's rumpled clothes. Soaked with mud and water, obviously beyond hope. Anna was going to kill him for that. .

"Doesn't matter. I figured you would have been caught in the rain, and knowing that you can never think properly to overcome any obstacles, came with an umbrella to safely lead you back to the inn." Ren said all this with indifference, acting as though as it were an ordinary, everyday matter not worth mentioning. He refused to let Yoh know how worried he had been, the endless pacing in the inn, the snapping at of several unfortunate passersby, and the eventual grabbing of an umbrella followed by the long tiring walk in the rain all the way out to the country side. Not mentioning the hours of searching high and low for the elusive teenager, the spoiling of his magnificent, expensive cloak by mud which was splashed upon it as he trudged through the mud. He refused to let anything get in his way though, and plowed his way through like a bull charging head first through a hedge maze.

Silence.

Yoh had stopped his sniveling, and was looking, strangely, sad. His eyes glimmered as tears filled those gems, the torrents almost spilling over the rims of his eyes, his tears melding with the raindrops. Hastily, he raised his hand and wiped both his eyes before latching onto Ren. The action as described above caused the usually cold and emotionless teenager to blush, and the steadied umbrella to fall to the ground, more mud to splash upon the splendid cloak, and the delicate pearls to fall at last. They remained in this position for a short while only, the short while like eternity to Ren, the few seconds each worth their weight in precious stones, even the rain ceased to be unbearable. It is purely assumption, and observation may not be accurate, but it can also been seen that Ren was too shocked to react, his brain had shut down completely on the spot when Yoh had hugged him, and he was suffering from a serious overload due to too much rain, the abundance of mud and the shock recieved due to another's reaction. The frazzled teenager shook himself to his senses, and quickly ruffled Yoh's brown hair while mumbling a gruff it's ok. He unglued Yoh's long, gangly arms from around his neck and reached down for the umbrella.

Yoh sniffled and rubbed his nose, looking very much like the innocent child he was. Ren could not help himself as the corners of his thin mouth gravitated upwards. Turning away, he cleared his throat and muttered, "Come on, let's go."

The eyes narrowed slightly and glowed with an odd glow, a queer glow with just a hint of maniacal in it as the two teenagers huddled under the umbrella for shelter and warmth, plowing their way through mud and rain home. A sudden breeze, and the eyes vanished, accompanied by a brief rustling of reeds...

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i finally finished the damn chapter...ok, bad language. censor(i don't really care) supposed to be short and sweet, but long and savory is pretty good too.. (: got abit carried away with imagery lalaala, please do leave a review. arigato! danken schon! 


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